Hurt in a Car Accident? 5 Steps to Take Immediately
If you were recently hurt in a car accident through no fault of your own, you may have grounds for legal action. Although Florida is a “no fault” state, victims can bypass the system and proceed with a third-party claim if they meet the serious injury threshold.
Should this be the route you’re thinking about taking, take the following steps as soon as possible, so your claim has the best chance of success:
1. Visit a Doctor
Your first priority following any kind of accident should be your health, and car crashes are no exception. Make sure to undergo a comprehensive exam right away, even if you were able to walk away from the scene.
Seeking prompt medical care will ensure that you receive adequate treatment for any and all impact injuries, including those that might not yet be apparent. As an added benefit, it will also demonstrate a commitment to mitigating damages. This will strengthen your subsequent personal injury claim.
2. Preserve Evidence from the Scene
If you managed to gather any potential evidence before leaving the crash site, store it in a safe place. This might include statements from eyewitnesses, photographs of the wreckage, and dash camera footage.
3. Start a Journal
Detailed entries about your injuries and how they’re affecting your quality of life will prove valuable when it comes time to demonstrate damages. Florida allows for the recovery of non-monetary losses like pain and suffering, but you have to demonstrate that you actually incurred them in order to include them in your claim.
4. Adjust Your Social Media Habits
Once your claim is underway, the insurance adjuster will probably try to monitor your social media activity. When scrutinizing the content, they will be looking for any reason to challenge your credibility.
Since there’s no way to be sure how they might interpret what you post, it’s best to avoid posting altogether until your case has been resolved. If that’s not feasible, at least make sure to enable stricter privacy settings and refrain from posting about your injuries, your social life, or your expenditures.
5. Call a Car Accident Lawyer
While car accident victims are entitled to represent themselves, they generally have enough to worry about without having to handle complex legal proceedings. Thankfully, most reputable personal injury firms work for a contingency fee, which means you’ve got nothing to lose by enlisting help.
In such an arrangement, the fee come out of the payout that results. And if the claim is not successful? Then the client is not responsible for any attorneys fees.
Speak with a Florida Car Accident Attorney
Was your life derailed because of a drunk, drowsy, or distracted driver? For help picking up the pieces, turn to the compassionate team at Emerson Straw.
We have secured tens of millions of dollars in successful settlements and judgements on behalf of those who were wronged by others. To schedule a free initial consultation with a car accident lawyer in Florida, fill out the Contact Form on our website or call (727) 821-1500.